The Tigress
by DirectionatorsFL
Summary: Petalfoot is a loyal Thunderclan warrior who would never think of doing anything wrong on purpose. But when she falls in love with the cat she isn't supposed to, she has to make a choice: what is more important, loyalty or love? OK, awful summary, but please read and review. Constructive critisism is allowed but no flamers please! Rated T for typical warrior contents.
1. Chapter 1

The Tigress

{Petalfoot's POV}

I got up and raised my head, annoyed by my early awakening. I then saw my sister's amber eyes gazing at me softly. "Get up, Petalfoot. We're on the dawn patrol!" she mewed playfully.

I rose to my paws, as alert as I could be. "Oh right. I completely forgot that Firestar wanted us. Where are we going, Sunheart?" I asked, shaking my long gray pelt. Sunheart smiled. "We're supposed to check out Sky Oak. The apprentices are doing a climbing session there at sunhigh, and Firestar didn't want any unexpected suprises." I nodded. "Better get started then. Is anyone else coming?"

Sunheart looked around nervously. "No," she whispered. "Just us. I…insisted on it" The golden cat looked down at her pale paws. "_What is that about?" _ I wondered. _ Is she hiding something? _I pushed the thoughts aside. Sunheart didn't keep secrets! "Alright…" I murmured. "Let's head out then."

At Sky Oak, I saw something strange. Well, smelled something strange. It seemed to be coming from the roots. I went to check it out. "Sunheart? Can you come here for a moment?" I asked. Sunheart seemed a bit distracted as she padded over. I had to stifle amusement as she tripped over her own front paws.

"Take a look at this." I said, using my tail to point out a burrow that had been made between the roots. It was defenetly fairly new. Sunheart sniffed the air. She had always been better at identifying scents. Her eyes widened. "Fox, no doubt about it. But I don't think it's home." I nodded. She had confirmed my suspisions.

"Better report this to Firestar. Guess the apprentices will have to practice somewhere else." Suddenly, the wretched scent of fox found its way into my nose again, much stronger and to the left. Sunheart and I noiselessly moved our heads toward the vicinity.

A big, male fox was staring at us, growling. We backed away slowly. I didn't want to have to show my claws, but if that mangy piece of crowfood dare try to hurt my clan, things wouldn't be pretty.

The fox lunged at my sister Sunheart. "_Oh no you don't!"_ I threw myself into the mass of claws and fur, yowling. Sunheart and I fought as one, powerful cat. We were as powerful as Lionclan together!

Soon, the fox knew he was beat. He turned tail and ran toward the abandoned twoleg nest. He would remember how he got his scars. I examined the wounds on Sunheart. There was a nasty looking bite on her back leg, but besides that, she was fine. I simply had a scratch on the left side of my flank. Nothing serious.

"We should head back and get that leg looked at." I said. Sunheart nodded. I shook my pelt once more and we headed off. After a few tail-lengths I turned around. For some reason I felt I was being watched. But when I looked back, I saw nothing but the giant tree.

{Tigerstar's POV}

I was watching my living Clanmates. They were only just awakening. Two she-cats had just returned from the dawn patrol and reported to my life (and death) long enemy, Firestar. One was silver and had white paws. She didn't look too impressive. I may have overlooked her, if I hadn't seen her fight.

"There was a fox at Sky Oak, living in the roots." She announced. "We fought it, and it ran towards the abandoned twoleg nest. It shouldn't bother Thunderclan anymore!"

Firestar nodded with approval. "I'm glad to here that it didn't seriously hurt you and your sister. But who attacked first, Petalfoot? The fox or you and Sunheart?"

So, the she-cat's name was Petalfoot? It seemed to weak a name for such a strong cat. However, we were obviously different. Why was it that she and her sister didn't wait until _after_ the fox attacked? Why not before? She could have been seriously hurt if she had been unprepared for the fox to leap.

Why did _I_ care, though? Wouldn't less Thunderclan fools be better in the long run? _Unless the Thunderclan fools can become allies…. _I smiled for the first time in moons. Petalfoot would be the perfect ally! As soon as the fox attacked Sunheart, Petalfoot was a lion. That could come in handy in the battle.

Of course, _that's_ when I saw a flaw in my foolproof plan. Petalfoot was loyal to Firestar! That wouldn't do. Maybe there was a way to change her loyalties? I had to watch her more to be sure. But I would convince her to join the Dark Forest, one way or another.


	2. Chapter 2: The First Meeting

**Reply to Reviews: Bookworm45669: Oh don't worry. I don't plan on stopping this anytime soon.  
Wow only 1 review? I think we can do better than that people! Anyway, last chapter we got to know Petalfoot. Tigerstar wants to recruit her. But is it just because she's strong, or is it something more? O_O**

Chapter 2

Petalfoot's POV

After my sister and I came back to camp, we chose a vole to share. In the clearing, Cherrykit and Molekit were play fighting. Wow. Dinner and a show. I purred with amusement. I had always enjoyed watching kits tussle.

"Have you ever thought about having kits, Petalfoot?" Sunheart asked. I looked at her in surprise. I wasn't expecting a question like that! I tilted my head, considering. "Maybe, but I'd have to find the right tom, and I haven't met him yet. Why do you ask?" I replied.

Sunheart looked startled. She did have a tendency to blurt out her thoughts without realizing it. "Oh, no reason… Just wondering." She then resumed to eating the vole. I stared at her. It wasn't like Sunheart to be so secretive. Was something wrong? I couldn't tell.

The sun was shining on my silver fur, making me tired. I wasn't hungry anymore, the fresh-kill pile was well stocked, and there weren't any patrols going out. A nap wouldn't hurt. I pushed myself onto my paws, and padded to the warriors den. Soon enough, I fell asleep.  
_

I was drifting… floating…weightless… was I dead? I looked down and I saw myself in the warriors den, sleeping but still alive. So I was dreaming? I didn't think that was it either. This felt too real. So what was going on?

I looked around and realized I was in the sky. I glanced down again and saw a small puddle and a trickle of water, but it only had one shore. _The sun-drown place._ I realized. _So that means that puddle is the lake!_ Never before had I realized just how small my world was. Now I had a new perspective.

Suddenly, a large gust of wind caused me to rocket toward a dark storm cloud. Now I knew what was going on. I had heard stories about a place where the cats who committed crimes left when they no longer lived, how sometimes, they would call on living cats to help them with their plans. I was going to the Dark Forest.

As soon as I realized this, I made a silent vow. I would not cooperate. _But then I'd surely be killed…._ I would pretend to cooperate to gain information. My former mentor, Brambleclaw, had taught me that it was a great tactic to think like your enemies. And now, I would put his lessons to the ultimate test.

Tigerstar's POV

So, Petalfoot's sister is hiding something from her? That's very useful. That might be something I could use to switch her loyalties. I smiled once again, then paused. What was going on? I never smiled. Smiling was a foreign concept to me, and everyone else here in the dark forest.

Darkstripe padded over to me. "She's coming." He mewed. I leapt to my feet. "_What?!" _ I hissed. "It's not even nighttime! How did this happen? Not that I'm complaining…" I trailed off. Desperately, I tried to think of something to say. "The sooner that we recruit her the better" I told him.

"Tell Snowtuft to bring her to me." I ordered Darkstripe. He nodded, but as he turned to leave, I stopped him. "On second thought, I'll go myself." I trotted toward the entrance to the Dark Forest to welcome the silver she-cat.

I went to the entrance to the Dark Forest, where a silver she-cat with white paws and green eyes stood, darting suspicious glances around every so often, as if she wanted to absorb as much of her surroundings as possible. Then she glanced at me. For a moment, I felt as if my insides were melting like snow in newleaf. Her eyes were claws tearing into my soul. For a second, I felt like a kit seeing the green leaves for the first time.

Petalfoot. She seemed taken aback when I studied her. "So, am I right to assume your Tigerstar?" She asked. "How did you know?" I replied tartly. I was impressed by her attitude. No cat had ever spoken to me like that before, dead or alive. Did she not realize that I could kill her in a blink of an eye? "You look like Brambleclaw." She stated simply. _That _I didn't like, though I could see where it was coming from.

I realized my warriors were behind me, and apparently, so did Petalfoot. "I take it you're in charge around here?" she inquired. Without waiting for a reply, she added "so you would know why I'm here?" "Yes, I am in charge. As for why you're here, that's simple. I wanted you to come here the next time you were asleep. I did not expect, however, to be visited so soon." She shrugged. "Fighting foxes can take the energy out of you."

I was tempted to smile again, but stopped myself in time. Almost three smiles in one day? That had to be a record or something. "Yes, I saw your fight with the fox. You were good. In fact, I would like to train you to be even better. Imagine, you could be the best fighter in your clan. One day, you might even become Petal_star._ Your name would go down in history!"

Petalfoot blinked. "What makes you think I would _want _to be leader, knowing that a single mistake on my part could be the downfall of my clan?" Wow. I had never thought about it that way. "However, being a good fighter would be a benefit for my clan, so I suppose I accept your offer."

I narrowed my eyes in amusement "Good. For a second there, I thought you were considering declining my generous offer." Petalfoot smiled. "You don't suppose you can send me back home could you? I promised to go on a hunting patrol with Cloudtail, and the clan might get worried if I'm asleep for too long." I waved my tail. "Of course. Wouldn't want to worry your clanmates now, would we? Petalfoot then turned around to leave.

As she walked out of earshot, Darkstripe padded over to me. "Nice job, Tigerstar. I think we've got her with us." I nodded in reply. I then left for my den. I was feeling…strange. But not in a bad way. It was sort of pleasant, in fact. I knew I had felt this before, but where?

Petalfoot's POV:

I padded out of the Dark Forest. I thought I did a pretty good job acting. It certainly seemed to convince Tigerstar. Strange, I had always imagined he would look a lot like Brambleclaw, but I didn't expect him to be so… handsome.

Where had that thought come from? He wasn't handsome. He was evil! _But he seemed kind. "_Well then he's a good actor!" I hissed at myself. Ok, was I going insane? I then realized that, while I wasn't in the Dark Forest, I wasn't in the den either. So where was I?

I looked around, trying to find something that could tell me where I was. I then saw a blue-gray she-cat looking at me. Somehow, I knew she was friendly. "You don't know me, Petalfoot. I am Bluestar, leader of Thunderclan before Firestar."

I tried to reply, but I found that I couldn't speak. Bluestar continued. _"Only the tigress can change the tiger's stripes"_ She then faded. "No, wait! What do you mean?! Why tell me this?! Please come back!" I found myself yowling. I then woke up in the warriors den, as if nothing had happened.

**Please rate and review! Virtual Petalfoot plushies to reviewers! No flamers!**

**Disclaimer: I am not one of the Erins, and therefore do not own warriors. (It's probably good that I don't)**

**Claimer: I DO own Petalfoot, Sunheart, and the idea for this fanfic.**

**Bonus: Can you guess who my least favorite dark forest warrior is? Hint: He has a huge influence on the series.**


	3. Chapter 3: What to Do

**Reply to reviews: Bookworm45669: Yes, this is a PetalfootxTigerstar fic. This chapter is not going to have as much "mushy-gushy" stuff in it, though.**

**KatieK101: Well, this story takes place in the **_**Omen of the Stars. **_**But thanks for mentioning your confusion, I guess it's a bit vague.**

**Leafie: No, I actually like Tigerstar and think that he would have been a great warrior if things had been different. Good guess!**

**IKhandoZatman: I'm not a huge fan of Brokenstar either. But he's not my least favorite. Good guess!**

**Congratulations, Bookworm45669! You were the first reviewer who got my question right. My least favorite Dark Forest Warrior is…Thistleclaw! He taught Tigerstar vicious methods! You get a voodoo Thistleclaw doll to torture in any way you choose. I suggest throwing it on a highway, feeding it to dogs, or showing it the Percy Jackson and the Olympians movie until its eyes fall out.**

**Wow, how long has it been since I updated this? A month or so? I don't remember… Anyway, I'm not going to give any excuses as to why I haven't updated sooner, because I don't like reading them. So, yeah.**

**Disclaimer: I own warriors in a world where pancake-loving, flying purple pigs chase me. In other words, in my dreams. (Yes, I often have dreams about this. It's freaky.)**

**Claimer: I do, however, own Petalfoot, Sunheart, Mintpaw (the Thunderclan version), the prophecy, and the idea for this fic.**

Petalfoot's POV:

I padded out of the warriors den before I realized I was shaking. Desperately, I tried to calm my nerves before I attracted attention to myself, but it was too late, Mintpaw dropped his squirrel and looked at me with concern.

"Are you all right, Petalfoot? Why are you shaking? Are you cold, or sick?" He inquired, his eyes widening more with each suggestion. "Do you have Whitecough, or Greencough, or-or Blackcough?!" At this point, His icy blue eyes were the size of berries, and his fur was on end so much, he looked like a big gray ball of moss.

Lilypaw padded up beside her friend after depositing her mouse on the fresh-kill pile and flicked her tail. "Mintpaw, she's not coughing, so she doesn't have Whitecough or Greencough. And Blackcough doesn't even exist. How could a cat have a sickness that isn't real?" The she-cat reasoned, amusement dancing in her eyes.

I gave Mintpaw a reassuring smile. "I just had a bad dream, that's all." I replied, amazed at how calm I sounded, considering all that had happened during my brief nap. "I think I'll get some thyme from Jayfeather, though. Just to calm my nerves a bit. Nice squirrel, by the way." I said, flicking my tail as I turned toward the medicine den.

Jayfeather was sorting his herb stores when I came to the entrance. He paused for a moment, then said, "Come in, Petalfoot." I padded inside. Jayfeather looked in my direction so accurately, I momentarily forgot he was blind. Then, I reminded myself, that was probably the point. I imagine he despised being treated differently from other cats just because he was blind. That was like treating a cat differently based on their pelt color. It didn't make sense.

"To what do I owe this unexpected encounter?" He mewed jokingly. I narrowed my eyes in amusement. Me and Jayfeather had been close as kits, and this hadn't changed. "I need to talk to you about something…" I replied nervously. Maybe I was losing my mind, and making a big deal out of nothing.

I soon found myself spilling everything to Jayfeather. How I felt I was being watched at Sky Oak, how I had fallen asleep and went to the Dark Forest, how I had seen Bluestar and heard her mysterious prophecy. Jayfeather seemed to take this all quite well. Occasionally, he'd tilt his head, or nod, but mostly he absorbed.

"Maybe it's all in my head, Jayfeather. Maybe I ate a bad piece of freshkill." I said hopefully. Dare I dream my words were true? No, but I dare not think my dreams were true as well. I simply hoped that I was losing it. That would be better than the truth.

Jayfeather gazed away thoughtfully. "Maybe, but unlikely" he murmured. "It couldn't be a real prophecy, right? Those aren't for normal cats." I continued. He looked towards me again. "Normal cats wouldn't see Starclan cats in dreams, Petalfoot. But you definitely saw Bluestar, from what you told me. And the Dark Forest warriors only recruit cats who are strong."

I stared at him. Most cats I knew would say something like _"Don't worry, It was just a dream"_ Or _"don't be mouse-brained, that didn't really happened." _But then, Jayfeather knew what he was talking about. I could tell. Maybe not being able to see like most cats had opened up a different sight for him, so he could see things that others couldn't.

Just then, a thought struck me. "Jayfeather, should I tell Firestar? I mean, we both know that Tigerstar's plans often revolve around him." The gray tabby shook his head. "Not now, we don't know enough." He replied. "I could get some more information. Tigerstar seems to… trust me." I replied.

Jayfeather seemed slightly surprised when I said that. "Really? Well, if you really want to get more information, it would help if he trusts you. But you don't have to, you know." He mewed.

"What could be a better way to show my loyalty? I have a chance to help my clan in a way where I don't have to deal with everyone questioning my loyalties." I had a tendency not to fight when it came to border skirmishes, since I saw no point in clawing in biting over things that could be avoided by simply having courtesy. Jayfeather knew this well.

He sighed. "Your mind's made up, Petalfoot, and I think we both know that when your mind is made up, you're as stubborn as a tick. Only difference is that ticks will yield to mouse bile." I narrowed my eyes with amusement, for what he said was completely true. I was quite stubborn, but was that necessarily a bad thing?

"Alright, Jayfeather, I'll let you know what I find out." I meowed, before exiting the den. I would be hunting later today, and I had to appear like there was nothing wrong, for the sake of my clan.

_  
**Ok, the ending is pretty cheesy… but hey I finally finished.** **Ok, so in your reviews this chapter, please tell me your favorite warrior cat (or one of them) and why you like him/her. That way, I know what my readers may want to see in future updates. Read and Review! Thank you!**

**P.S. Sorry if Jayfeather is OOC**


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